The Hive
by JiigarGhen
Summary: Oneshot. What if Naruto had Kikai bugs?


This was an odd idea that popped into my head a while ago; I was thinking about what might happen if Shino's Kikaichuu absorbed the Kyuubi's chakra. And then that led to thinking about "Hey, what might happen if Naruto got his hands on a set of Kikai bugs? Would they be able to endure, and perhaps help him control the Kyuubi's chakra?"

After a while, the plot bunny nibbled on me long enough that I wrote this. I apologize for the rushed nature, but I haven't bothered to edit it all that much, given that this is essentially now a simple summary of the concept. Also, after some advice by friends of mine on TFF, the actual fic will not be following these exact guidelines as far as plot goes. Think of this as an...intro to the idea, if you will.

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The Hive, a oneshot.

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The hive was everything. This was something that had been instilled in Aburame Shino since his birth. When he first gained awareness, the hive was there to greet him and ease his passage into the strange new world. When he first began to walk, the hive was there to catch him when he fell. Some people said that the Aburame insects were simply that, insects. But this was untrue. To an Aburame, the kikai bugs were more than just pets, or even loyal companions. They were more than family, for while family might lose trust, the hive did not. In this way, the whole clan was connected even closer than family ties, for they were all part of the hive. An outsider would not understand…and yet, there was one who seemed to do so.

To the surprise and shock of the Aburame elders, when Shino returned from the Bikochu mission, he declared his intent to befriend the so-called 'demon brat'. When queried on this odd decision, Shino simply replied:

"He acts like one of the hive, though he does not refer to it as such."

Upon this startling revelation, the Aburame clan slowly began to change their opinion of the boy. After all, when one of the hive spoke, the rest listened, even if the one who spoke was not as experienced as others.

Though the friendship of the Aburame was subtle, unseen by many of the village, it was enough to change a few small things. Shino suggested that Naruto start buying his clothes at a shop run by the Aburame, and so the boy did so.

The silk produced by the spiders the Aburame raise is among the finest of materials for clothing possible. Stronger than steel, lighter than silk, a full suit of it is rarely sold to those outside the clan. Naruto bought one for roughly the same price as it cost to make, though he complained about the lack of color choices. Shino was almost visibly shocked when he learned that Naruto had paid nearly the same amount for his current jumpsuit.

In the time between then and Naruto's departure, the other Aburames began to see the reasons behind Shino's befriending Naruto. Naruto's attitude, towards his friends at least, was as similar as a non-clan member could get to the Aburame mindset, albeit with far too many emotions clouding the boy's judgement. The clan had finally resolved to give their full, public support to the boy, when they learned he had left ahead of schedule.

Disappointed, Shino saw this as a failure on his part. With no way to contact Naruto, the hive would have to wait. Shino poured himself into developing his gift for Naruto, waiting for his return, with the patience only the hive could grant.

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Three years later, the hive felt it was time. If Naruto kept his promise, he would return soon, and the hive would have a gift for him. The greatest achievement the clan had ever produced, and it would first be given to a non-clan member. The gift was still incomplete, however, as its recipient was not present to prove its efficiency on. However, Shino felt that once Naruto returned, it would be perfected.

When Naruto returned to Konoha, Shino was waiting for him. When Shino told him of the hive's decision, Naruto had been shocked. At first, he had laughed it off as a joke, but when Shino persisted, Naruto had sobered up quickly.

"Are you sure? You know what I have in me…and you want to do this?"

"Yes, we know. And yes, we do. We had been observing you for some time before you departed. The hi...clan agrees with me."

"Well…what can I do but say yes, dattebayo! So…are you my brother now or something?"

"…"

"Sorry, sorry…"

"There is one thing more, Naruto."

"Eh? What's that?"

Shino held out the box containing his greatest achievement and his greatest gift.

"Eh? A bug? What's this for?"

"That is no ordinary insect, Naruto. That is a queen, and a special one at that. I have been working on her for you."

"For me? You mean…I'm supposed to have bugs living inside me? Eww…"

"It is part of being in our clan…but as I said, that is no ordinary insect. It is my belief that a colony formed of the descendants of this queen will aid you in controlling that…special chakra of yours."

After explaining the concept behind the special queen, or at least attempting to, Shino ended by saying:

"…Naruto, this queen will help you, not hurt you. Will you allow us to truly make you part of the clan?"

"All right…" Naruto agreed reluctantly.

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From there, the tests began. Though the new strain of bugs were far more powerful than the normal Kikai, the fox's chakra still proved too strong for them to handle. Naruto proved to be still edgy about having even more tenants within his body, but he was so glad to have acknowledgement from an entire clan, to the point that they were willing to make him an honorary clan member, that he was willing to put up with the odd habits and even the bugs.

The new breed was specially designed to help the user filter their chakra; this in turn would allow them more control over it. In Naruto's case, however, the bugs would have to be strengthened somehow. It was Shino's hope that he and the rest of the hive could get the Kyuubi's chakra to recognize the insects as part of the host body; this would be far easier if the Kyuubi was willing to cooperate, but Naruto doubted that the fox would allow Naruto something that gave him more control over its power. The hive would be forced to work around it.

Their first breakthrough came when Naruto had finally achieved the initial union with the queen; somehow, simply being bonded with the Jinchuuriki strengthened the insects enough to survive the Kyuubi's chakra. Unfortunately, that was all the offspring of the first queen could do: survive. They had to devote so much energy to staying alive, that they were useless for anything. The queen seemed to be better off, but one insect, no matter how much stronger than the normal Kikai, would not be able to assist Naruto all that much.

After a few generations, however, the original queen was still alive, and seemed to only be growing stronger, rather than weaker over time, like the standard Kikai queens. Her progeny grew stronger with each breeding, and slowly, ever so slowly, became used to the hostile environment of the Kyuubi's chakra.

As his insects grew stronger, so did Naruto. One of the elders of the clan began to train him in an obscure fighting style known as the Wall of Steel. Using an ancient, mostly forgotten weapon, Naruto trained himself to become the embodiment of his style. He would be a barrier between his precious people and those who sought to harm them.

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"Naruto."

"Yes, Shino? What is it?"

"Grandfather wishes to see you."

Shino escorted Naruto to the training room, where Aburame Hachi, the weaponsmaster of the clan and one of the greatest fighters in Konoha, awaited him.

"Naruto."

"Yes, Hachi-sensei?"

"I have taught you all I know of the Wall of Steel. You must now learn the rest on your own. It is incomplete, what you have learned, but you now know the basis for the style. From here on out, you are no longer my student. You are a full practitioner of the Wall of Steel…but don't think you're my equal yet, brat. Come back here when you think you've perfected your style, and I'll be happy to beat you into the ground and prove otherwise. Here, take this."

The old man tossed a spear to Naruto, who caught it with the ease of long practice.

"Hmph. I see you can catch it now, brat. When I first began teaching you, you didn't even know you were supposed to catch it. That's the spear my teacher gave to me, when I finished my training."

"Thanks a lot, jiji!"

THWACK

"Owww….what was that for?"

"Just because you're no longer my student doesn't mean you can call me an old man, brat. Keep in mind, this was just the basics of the Wall of Steel. The rest has been lost to time, so you'll have to come up with your own version of it. Have fun, brat. See you around."

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Months passed, and the whispers about "that demon brat" visiting the Aburame compound grew. Finally, they reached the ears of the Hokage, who was not having a good day. Feeling grumpy about Shizune, who had managed to hide all the sake again, Tsunade decided to pay the Aburame a visit, to see what exactly Naruto was doing there. Unbeknownst to all those involved, this day was a fortuitous one for the Aburame, Naruto, and even the village.

As Tsunade arrived, she heard a shout of glee. Finding the clan compound deserted, she went deeper in, entering places few outsiders had ever been since the start of the clan itself. As she wound her way deeper and deeper into the hive, a blast of sickeningly familiar chakra washed over her, in greater amounts than ever before. She rushed towards it, hoping against hope that she would be able to stop Naruto before he did anything.

She arrived in a huge room, illuminated by the oh-so familiar red chakra, and she gasped. Naruto, in full three-tail form, was standing in the center of the room. There was no look of rage in his eyes, only an odd peace. As she gaped in awe, she realized something. The chakra was not nearly as malevolent as the other times she had felt Naruto use it, but it felt even more powerful somehow. No, that wasn't the right words for it…something was filtering the chakra, even more so than the Yondaime's seal. Even as she stood there, the aura of power from Naruto lowered itself to his normal levels, and the chakra aura disappeared.

"Hey, Obaa-chan! What's wrong?"

A vein ticked in Tsunade's forehead, but she didn't allow herself to be distracted.

"Wrong? What do you think you're doing, using that chakra in the middle of Konoha?"

"What do you mean, obaa-chan? I've been using it for the past two months, and no one's said a thing…"

"Two months?! What on earth for?"

"Shino and my new clan have been helping me with it…"

"Helping you…wait, new clan? Don't tell me they…"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama. We of the Aburame have adopted the boy. We have yet to officially initiate him into the clan, but with this test, we are finally ready." Shino said quietly from behind the Hokage.

"Do you really mean that, Shino?"

"Yes…this was the final test. Welcome to the hive, Naruto."

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End file.
